Pair accused of disrespecting Balinese culture after woman poses for nude shots next to tree considered holy by Hindus
Alina Fazleeva and her husband Andrey Fazleeva, wearing traditional Balinese attire, attend the Bali governor’s office before being deported from the island province on May 6. (Photo: Bali provincial government)
By Konradus Epa
Indonesian authorities in Bali have kicked out a Russian influencer and her husband after the pair conducted a naked photo shoot at a holy site in the Hindu-majority island province.
Alina Fazleeva, 35, posed naked against a large 700-year-old tree in a Hindu temple compound in Babakan last week.
Natural features like trees and mountains are regarded as sacred by Balinese Hindus.
Fazleeva, who is also a yoga teacher, later uploaded the pictures on Instagram.
The images were reposted on other platforms including Facebook on May 4 by Niluh Djelantik, a prominent figure in Bali, prompting widespread criticism from netizens including Hindu clerics.
Local authorities deported the couple on May 6 after making them take part in a cleansing ceremony at the holy site.
“We thank Hindu leaders and people in Bali who refrained from committing actions some might have expected”
“They are now on a blacklist and cannot return to Bali for the foreseeable future,” said Jamaruli Manihuruk, who heads the Ministry of Law and Human Rights office in Bali.
He said they had committed an offense that “endangered public order” and had to be deported despite them issuing an apology for their actions.
Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of the Setara Institute for democracy and peace, said the reaction of the local authorities was appropriate.
“We thank Hindu leaders and people in Bali who refrained from committing actions some might have expected,” Naipospos said.
He also said local authorities should do more on making tourists more aware of local customs and what should not be done at holy places.
Last month authorities in Bali deported a Canadian tourist for dancing naked on a mountain considered sacred by local people.
Jeffrey Douglas Craigen, a 34-year-old actor, posted a video of himself doing a haka, a ceremonial dance of New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people, while naked on top of Mount Batur in Bangli district.
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